Tourist hot spot signs deal with a 198mph flying taxi company to make flying cars normality next year
- Keep your eyes on the skies if you’re in Dubai next year
- A California-based company has signed a deal to provide the tourist hotspot with flying taxis
- The eVTOL aircraft will reach incredible speeds
Published on Feb 17, 2024 at 10:07 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Feb 20, 2024 at 1:15 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Like something from a 1960s sci-fi movie, flying cars will take the skies of Dubai in 2025, as they sign a deal to make flying taxis a common sight.
With the futuristic taxis flying through the air at speeds of up to 320 km/h (200 mph) – it looks like science fiction is set to become a reality.
Joby’s flying taxis are electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
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Nixing the need for a long runway makes them perfect for inner city transportation.
At the high speeds expected, a flight from Dubai airport to Palm Jumeirah would take a mere 10 minutes.
The same 30(ish) km journey would take around an hour on the ground.
The flying taxis are powered by six electric motors and have a range of 100 miles before they run out of charge.
The vehicle is designed to carry up to four passengers and a pilot and can fly at speeds of up to 200 mph (320 km/h).
The lucky aviation company to sign the apparently lucrative deal was California-based, Joby Aviation.
And tourists won’t have to wait long for their airborne ride, as the commercial will begin operating in the tourist hotspot next year.
There’s plenty going on in Dubai, including its latest skyscraper that’s going for a new world record and an upcoming mall that customers can drive through in their EVs.
And the eVTOL aren’t the only new transport on the horizon, as Dubai is developing driverless, high-speed pods that run on elevated tracks.
The aircraft in question is designed to carry up to four passengers plus their up-in-the-air Uber pilot.
The unprecedented plan is for the flying taxis to transport tourists from art gallery to malls to dinner – or wherever else their luxury stay takes them.
It will work in a similar way to a taxi service on the ground, with passengers hailing a cab from “ventiports”.
While sticking an arm out to flag the pilot’s attention wouldn’t be doable, customers will book a ride via the company’s air taxi app and buy tickets via their smartphone prior to takeoff.
The contract, signed with the Dubai Road and Transport Authority (RTA) agrees to launch air taxi services in the destination by early 2026.
Per MailOnline, a spokesperson has said they want to make the taxis “as accessible as possible” and significantly cheaper than private helicopter rides.
But the company is aiming higher and hopes to begin operations as early as next year.
“It is an honor to work with the Government of Dubai to demonstrate to the world the value of sustainable air travel,” JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation said.
“We look forward to delivering an incredible experience to Dubai residents and visitors as early as 2025, and we are excited to lay the foundation for expanding our service across the UAE.”
Testing of the flying taxis began in October of 2023.
They signed a deal with London-based delivery company, Skysports, to build and operate four “vertiports” dotted conveniently around the vibrant city.
It’s expected these ventiports will crop up at Dubai International Airport, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina and Dubai Downtown.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
